The key factors in selecting a professional video battery are size, weight, camera balance, runtime, service life, safety, reliability, compatibility, initial cost and cost to operate. No single battery size, type or chemistry can offer the ultimate in all of these characteristics in every shooting situation for every type of video operation. Accordingly, numerous battery types having different chemistries, such as nickel metal hydride, lithium ion and nickel-cadmium, each having different characteristics, are often used depending on the particulars of the video operation. In addition, there are countless battery manufactures producing batteries of all different types, sizes and chemistries. Even batteries of the same chemistry, if produced by different manufacturers, will differ in numerous respects such as size, internal components, circuitry and the like.
Moreover, inherent in any video operation is the need to charge each battery after use. Various charging systems for rechargeable batteries of different chemistries, such as nickel metal hydride, lithium ion and nickel-cadmium, are well known in the art. Known chargers, however, are only capable of charging batteries with certain chemistries because each battery type has a different charge profile that includes a particular charge time, charge rate and charge cut-off. As will be readily appreciated, an inappropriately charged battery may lead to overcharging or overheating, which may result in safety issues, or may lead to decreased battery life.
As such, in order to charge a nickel metal hydride battery, a lithium ion battery and a nickel-cadmium battery, for example, three separate chargers, each being configured specifically for the charge profile of each battery type, are required. As will be readily appreciated, even batteries of like chemistry, produced by different manufacturers, are often incapable of being charged on the same charger due to the precise battery makeup, internal components and other proprietary features of the respective batteries. For example, it is often the case that a charger designed to accommodate and charge a battery from one manufacturer cannot charge a battery from another manufacturer, even if both batteries have the same chemistry. Any attempt to interchange chargers and batteries across manufacturers may result in safety issues such as overheating or combustion, damage to the battery and/or charger inoperability.
In view of the problems associated with known battery chargers, there is a need for a universal charge module that is capable of charging one or more batteries having different chemistries. Such a universal charge module would obviate the need to carry around numerous battery chargers for each type of battery used in any given video operation.